Floating discharge-pipe for hydraulic dredges and means for connecting same to dredges.



No. 746,995. PATENTED DB0. 15. 1.90s.v

A. W-ROBINSON.

FLOATING DISCHARGE PIPE FOR HYDRAULIC DREDGES AND MEANS FOR CONNECTINGTHE SAME T0 DREDGES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. 1903' M m 5 2" I m 4: 4

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No. 746,995. PATENTED DEG. 15,.1903. A. W. ROBINSON. FLOATING DISCHARGEPIPE FOR HYDRAULIC DREDGES AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE SAME- TODREDGES.

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APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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No. 746,995. PATENTED DEC. 15, 1908. A. W. ROBINSON. FLOATING DISCHARGEPIPE FOR HYDRAULIC DREDGES AND MEANS PER CONNECTING THE SAME T0 DREDGES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

No MODEL.

No. 746,995. PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903.

A. w. ROBINSON. FLOATING DISCHARGE PIPE FOR HYDRAULIC DRE'DGES AND MEANSFOR CONNECTING THE SAMETO DREDGES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 4, 1903. 4 SHEETS SHEET I v I" o I W '0WITNESSES: I INVENTOR ATTORNEY' llirn fl'ra'rhs.

Patented December 15,1903.

PATIENT rant.

ARTHUR W. ROBINSON, OF MONTREAL, CANADA.

FLOATING DISCHARGE-PIPE FOR HYDRAULIC DREDGES AND MEANS FOR CONNECTINGSAME T0 DREDGES.

nBl-ZGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,995, datedDecember 15, 1903. Application liled April A, 1903. Serial No. 151,030.(No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. ROBINSON, a citizen of the Dominion ofCanada, and a resident of the city of Montreal, Province of Quebec,Dominion of Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements inFloating Discharge-Pipes for Hydraulic Dredges and Means whereby SuchPipes May be Connected to the Dredges, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 illustrates a viewin plan of the firstsection of the discharge-pipe adjoining the dredge and shows the mannerof connecting said pipe to the dredge. Fig. 2 illustrates a view inelevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 illustrates a plan viewof the ball-andsocket connection and coacting parts whereby thedifferent sections of the discharge-pipe are connected together. Fig. 4illustrates an elevation, mostly in vertical section, of the parts shownin Fig. 3. Fig. 5 illustrates a plan view of one section of thedischarge-pipe with its floats or pontoons. Fig. 6 illustrates across-section of the discharge-pipe with its floats or pontoons. Fig. 7illustrates a detail of the hinder or strap whereby the floats, thedischarge-pipe, and the truss-frame or cradle by which they aresupported are all bound and clamped together. Fig. 8 illustrates anelevation, partly in section, of the adjoining ends of two sections ofthe discharge-pipe with their rubber connection and the balland-socketjoint between the sections.

This invention relates to a floating discharge-pipe adapted to carryaway from a dredge of the hydraulic or suction pipe the materialexcavated or dredged by it.

The object of the invention is to provide a discharge-pipe which shallbeadapted to work in a seaway and to withstand the strains due to theaction of the waves and also to provide simple, durable, and relativelyinexpensive and ready means whereby such dischargepipe may beconstructed or assembled and again knocked down, and also connected ordisconnected from the dredge or scow.

The discharge-pipe described in this specification is adapted to be usedin connection with any dredge of the type in which the dredged materialis discharged through a discharge-pipe.

The special form of the dredging apparatus forms no part of thisinvention.

I will first describe the construction of the floating part of thedischarge-pipe and coacting parts and then the means employed wherebysuch pipe is detachably attached to the dredge or scow.

In the drawings herewith, A represents the discharge-pipe; B B, pontoonsor floats preferably cylindrical in form of shorter length than that ofthe sections of the discharge-pipe. They are closedat their ends in anysuitable manner, as by heads.

0 is a truss-frame, made of heavy flat iron, having the three curvedsurfaces shown adapted to receive the three cylindrical parts abovestated2'. a, the centrally-disposed discharge-pipe A and the twolaterally-disposed floats or pontoons B. This frame is trussed at itslower part by the inclined side pieces 0 G and an underlying chord CBolts passed through the ends of all the members involved unite themrigidly, and thus a firm reliable support for the very considerableweight of the discharge-pipe is afforded and a means provided wherebyall the parts may be firmly nested together.

D is a metallic strap or other binder which passes through the loopedupper ends of the frame 0 and extends over the top of thedischarge-pipe, whereby it is held firmly in place within the trussedcradle or frame 0.

E is what may be called a universal binder, which encircles the entirestructure-to wit, the discharge pipe, the two floats, and the frameO-which being stretched tight will rigidly bind the whole structuretogether. I prefer that this binder E should be made as shown in Fig. 7,in which a casting F is provided with a threaded eyebolt Gr and apowerful not H, so that a doubled cable H, the ends of which are clampedby clips I I, secured by bolts J J, as shown, being passed around thedischarge-pipe, floats, &c., and properly engaged with the casting F,while the eyebolt G and the nut H are slack, may be tightened and causedto firmly draw and bind all the parts together by screwing up the nut H.In orderthat this may be done effectively, I construct the threadedeyebolt G and the nut H of proper size and with proper pitch to thethread, so that the requisite power may be exerted. There may be as manyof these binders employed upon each float as desired. I show four inFig. 5. If

. the pontoons or floats are small and the discharge-pipe relativelylight, two only-one near each end of the float-will be sufficient; butsometimes it will be judicious to employ more than illustrated by me.

Obviously the tightening-bands may be made of rope, round iron, orchain; but I prefor to use the doubled or two-part wire cable fittedwith the clamps and tightening arrangements, as shown.

I call particular attention to the fact that because of the above-statedconstruction the pipes, with their pontoons, can be readily erected andas readily knocked down for transportation or repair and that nobolt-holes or punctures are required either in the pipe or its floatsnor are any special tools or parts required. All the elements arecomplete in themselves, so that it is simply necessary to put themtogether at the time of use and take them apart at the time of disuse orfor transportation, which can be easily and quickly done by the crew ofthe dredge, and no specially-skilled assistance or any tools other thanthose always found aboard such dredges are required.

For the purpose of connecting the sections of the discharge-pipe to eachother and providing suitable flexibility in a seaway I employ a specialform of ball-and-socket joint provided with relief or cushioningsprings, as is shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 8. In Figs. 3 and 4, for thesake-of greater clearness, I do not illustrate the usual flexible rubberconnection between the ends of the sections of the discharge-pipe, but Ido illustrate this feature at w in Fig. 8. For the same reason I do notshow the ball-and-socket joint in Fig. 5, although in that figure I doshow the rubber connection. The rubber connection may be of any of theusual forms and will serve the purpose of providing continuity in thepipe, but is not well adapted to resist the severe strains to which thestructure is incident in a seaway, particularly in doing the heavy workfor which my invention is more particularlyintended. The ball-and-socketconnection or joint which I provide to relieve the rubber connection ofstrains is superimposed over the center of the rubber sleeve in suchmanner that the entire working strains due to the surging and rolling ofthe pipes will be resisted by this metallic joint and not by the rubbersleeve; Referring to Figs. 3 and 4,0nememberofthe ball-and-socketjoint Lis rigidly attached to a frame M on top of one section of thedischarge-pipe and the other member N is elastically attached to asimilar frame 0 on the adjacent end of the adjoining section of thepipe. The frame M and the part L of the ball-and-socket joint supportedby it are rigidly bolted to the top of the discharge-pipe, as shown, andthe frame 0 is in like manner rigidly bolted to the top of the othersection. On the part L is formed a spherical terminal L and on the partM is formed a spherical socket N. The spherical part L has a hole Lthrough which passes a bolt or pin N provided with nuts andaconcavewasher, as shown. The hole L is so much larger in diameter than the pinthat all requisite movement due to wave action is permitted at thispoint. One or the other of the above-described parts of this structure(the right-hand one, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4) is provided withcushioningsprings P P. I prefer to employ two. One only, however, may beemployed. These springs abut at each end against movable plates Q and Q,which are prevented from undue separation by lugs R R, forming part ofthe casting. S is a draw-bar resembling the draw-bar in car-couplingdevices, which is duly supported by the frame 0 and is ribbed, as shown,to give it requisite strength. Its outer end abuts against the plate Q,and near this end it is connected by a cross-pin T to a strap U, whichincloses the springs and the plates Q and Q. The operation is obvious.Should the strains exerted by the wave action be compressing strains,then the end of the draw-bar impinging upon the plate Q com presses thesprings, the abutment therefor being the opposite plate Q, which issupported by the rearmostlugs R. If, on the otherhand, the strains betensile in character, then the pull of the draw-bar will be transmittedthrough the pin T and yoke or strap U to the plate Q, and the springswill be compressed, but in the opposite direction, the plate Q and ancetherefor. All rolling as well as pitching motion of the parts relativeto each other is compensated for in any and all directions by theball-and-socket joints L N. It will be noted that all the strains whichcan arise at these joints between the pipe-sections will be taken uponthe metallic devices described and that the inserted rubber section isrelieved therefrom and has no function to perform excepting that ofaffording continuity to the pipe.

The section of the discharge-pipe which is adjacent to the dredge isconstructed somewhat differently from the other sections. It is shown inFigs. 1 and 2. This section is preferably of shorter length than theordinary floating sections, being only sufficiently long to permit ofthe requisite rise and fall due to wave action without making too greatan angle at the point of attachment to the dredge. This section of thepipe is connected to a swivel-elbow on the dredge, which forms thesubject-matter of a separate application for Letters Patent filed by me.I will not, therefore, herein specifically describe it, but willindicate it generally by the letter X. It is supported at one corner ofthe dredge a by the rearmost lugs E now serving as resistprojectingframework b b and an A-frame c c. The last section of the pipe isconnected to this swivel-elbow by twohingedlugsdd,which are properlypivoted within similar lugs e e on the lower swiveling member of theswivelelbow. The lugs d d are rigidly bolted, as shown, toa shortsection of the discharge-pipe f, so that vertical pivotal action isaflorded by the joint just described. g is a section of rubber pipewhich permits the vertical action referred to. h is a casting rigidlybolted to the end of the pipe f, and t' is another casting rigidlybolted to the end of the last section of the discharge-pipe A. k is abell-crank lever which is connected with a pin Z, which passes downthrough the terminal parts of the castings h and'i, whereby they arepivoted together and afforded universal movement. on is a strongcotter-pin which passes through the lower end of the pivot-pin land isheld against displacement by a spring or equivalent device, which,however, may be overcome by a sufficiently strong pull upon a rope orchain n, which extends from the end of the cotter-pin inboard. 0 is arod, rope, or chain which extends from the upper member of thebell-crank lever inboard also. The member t'of this joint maybeneficially be provided with springs 10, resembling the springs P ofthe joint between the pipe sections proper, so that this joint likewisemay be cushioned against compressing and tensile strains, and tosupplement this relief I provide lateral guys q g, which are providedwith spring-links r r, the construction of which is well understood anddoes not requirespecific description. The inboard ends of these guys areconnected to suitable brackets s s by hooks t t, which catch over a pinforming part of the brackets referred to. These guys are sustained byoutwardly-extending and suitably-supported extensions thereof it u. Theguys q q are not normally called into action; but when by unusual waveaction or for other reason the movement of the pipe relative to thedredge, or vice versa, becomes excessive then they are called intoaction and the pipe is relieved of rupturing strains. '0 is a tackle,whereby the parts being disconnected, as hereinafter described, thepartf of the pipe may be elevated. I employ the bell-crank lever is withthe detachable pin land detachable cotter m and provide hooks on theends of the guys g, which are thereby detachably attached to thebracketss, so that in the event of a heavy storm or any other likelihoodof marine disaster the dredge may be separated from the pipe byunhooking the hooks if, drawing out the cotter-pin m by hauling on thechain or rope n, and lifting the pivot-pin Z, so as to disconnect theparts by hauling on the rope or chain 0, whereupon the guys (1 qwilldrop into the water, the strain on the parts will sever or pullapart the rubbersection w, and thereupon the dredge and the pipe will beentirely disconnected from each other,and the dredge can look out forits own safety, freed from the pipe, and the pipe being freed fromconnection with the dredge will adjust itself to the storm in suchmanner as to be least liable to injury, or other means may be thenprovided for the preservation of the pipe.

It will be obvious to those who are familiar with this art that manymodifications may be made in the details of construction described andclaimed by me without departing from the essentials of the improvementsrecited. I therefore do not limit myself to such details. I havedescribed and illustrated the construction above shown simply as oneform, and a desirable form, in which my invention may be embodied, butnot by any means as the only form.

I claim 1. A section of floating discharge-pipe composed of a length ofpipe and two floats therefor, all rigidly connected and bound togetherso as to be immovable relative to each other.

2. A section of floating discharge-pipe composed of a centrally-disposedpipe and two floats, one on either side thereof and a series of framesin the length of the section which hold the pipe and floats in properposition and immovable relative to each other.

3. A section of floatingdischarge-pipe composed of a centrally-disposedpipe, two floats by the side thereof, a frame to hold them in relativeposition and bands encircling the pipe and the floats whereby they arebound together.

4. A section of floating discharge-pipecomposed of a centrally-disposedpipe, two floats by the side thereof, a frame to hold them in relativeposition and bands encircling the pipe and the floats whereby. they arebound together, said bands being provided with adjustable tighteningdevices.

5. In a floating discharge-pipe a frame for sustaining the pipeandfloats therefor embodying members adapted to fit the exterior surface ofthe pipe and floats and means to bind the parts together.

6. Inafloatingdischarge-pipeatruss-frame for sustaining the pipe andfloats therefor embodying members adapted to fit the exterior surface ofthe pipe and floats, a chord or truss for stiffening the said frame andmeans to bind all the parts together.

7. In a floating discharge-pipe a frame for sustaining acentrally-located pipe and two floats therefor, said frame havingmembers formed on arcs of circles adapted to fit the exterior of thedischarge-pipe and of the two floats, but not to entirely encircle them,and a chord or truss for said frame.

8. In a floating discharge-pipe a frame for sustaining acentrally-located pipe and two floats therefor, said frame embodyingmembers formed on arcs of circles adapted to fit the exterior of thedischarge-pipe and of the two floats, but not to entirely encircle them,

a chord or truss for said frame and means to bind all the partsimmovably together.

9. In a floating discharge-pipe a frame for the support of the pipe andfloats thereof having a centrally-located portion on which thedischarge-pipe rests and laterally-located portions for the support ofthe floats and having also a truss-frame on its under part,

' the apex of which is directly beneath the discharge-pipe and the endsof which are connected by a horizontal tension member or chord.

10. In afioatingdischarge-pipe a frame for the purpose described formedof an upper member shaped to receive and properly support thedischarge-pipe and two floats therefor, said member having at its upperpart means for attaching a strap thereto, an intermediate member havingatruss, and a lower member or chord to resist tensile strain and a strapadapted to embrace the discharge-pipe.

11. In a floating discharge-pipe a flexible band for binding the pipeand its floats together formed of two parts of a single rope or cableand a tightener therefor embodying a casting, an eyebolt and a nut forthe eyebolt.

12. A ball-and-socket joint for connecting the sections ofdischarge-pipe, the members whereof respectively are attached toadjacent ends of the discharge-pipe, the center of the junction beingmidway between said pipes.

13. A ball-and-socket joint for connecting the sections ofdischarge-pipe, the members whereof respectively are attached toadjacent ends of the discharge-pipe, the center of the junction beingmidway between said pipes, and a section of flexible material engagingthe opposite ends of the pipe whereby it is made continuous.

14:. A ball-and-socket joint for the purpose described having a boltpassing through the center of the ball and the socket rigidly connectedto the socket but movably connected to the ball.

15. A ball-and-socket joint for the purpose described having a boltpassing through the center of the ball and the socket rigidly connectedto the socket, but movably connected to the ball, said ball having awasher concave on one side to fit the exterior of the ball.

16. A ball-and-socket joint embodying two members, a ball member and asocket member, one of them provided with cushioningsprings adapted toresist compressing as well as tensile strains.

17. The combination of a ball-and-socket joint for connecting thesections of a floating discharge-pipe embodying two members, a ballmember and a socket member, one of said members havinga sliding shank, afixed frame and two springs with plates between the plates wherebythrusting as well as pulling strains may be cushioned by the springs.

18. A section of a floating discharge-pipe connecting the same to thedredge, having a ball-and-socket joint at one' end and a doubledvertical hinged joint at the other end.

19. A sectionof floating discharge-pipe connecting the same to thedredge, having a balland-socketjoint atone end and a doubled verticalhinged joint at the other end in combination with a swivel-elbowattached to the dredge.

20. In a floating discharge-pipe a section thereof pivotally andpermanently connected to the dredge, the remainder of the dischargepipebeing detachably connected to the said permanently-connected section.

21. In a floating discharge-pipe a section thereof pivotally andpermanently connected to the dredge, the remainder of the dischargepipebeing pivotally attached to the firstnamed section by devices detachablefrom the dredge.

22. In a discharge-pipe a section thereof permanently connected to thedredge, the remainder thereof being pivotally connected to saidpermanently-connected part and guys therefor provided with spring-linkswhich are brought into action during excessive movement of the piperelative to the dredge.

23. In a discharge-pipe a section thereof permanently connected to thedredge, the remainder thereof being pivotally connected to saidpermanently-connected part, guys therefor provided with spring linkswhich are brought into action during excessive movement of the piperelative to the dredge, and means whereby the guys and the pipe may bedetachably attached to the section which is permanently connected to thedredge.

' In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing-witnesses.

ARTHUR WQROBINSON.

Witnesses:

E. M. CORBET, A.-J. YOUNG.

